IN BRITAIN TODAY More Police For Ulster

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32221, 13 February 1970, Page 5

IN BRITAIN TODAY More Police For Ulster

The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland (Mr James Chichester-Clark) has announced that Ulster’s police force will be increased by more than 1000 men, and has called on Roman Catholics and Protestants alike to bury their differences and show the world that theirs is a unified country. The Prime Minister told the opening of a new session of the Stormont that 1970 would be a year of rethinking and rebuilding after one of sectarian violence. Announcing that the province’s police force would be increased from its present strength of 3500 to 4940, he said: “We are determined that never again will Northern Ireland be underpoliced, but that the forces available shall be fully adequate both to curb disorder and to prevent and detect crime.” Mr Chichester-Clark spoke after the Governor (Lord Grey) had said that the British Government would review the Special Powers Act in Northern Ireland that permitted arrest without warrant and detention without trial, and gave other sweeping powers to police. The measure, first enacted with the partition of Ireland more than 50 years ago, was re-invoked last August after rioting between Protestants and Roman Catholics. Lord Grey spoke amid strict security precautions: extra police were on duty and police dogs patrolled the ground of Parliament Reading the Queen’s message. the Governor said that the review would be made in “light of the existing commitment for appropriate action when the state of the country permits." Lord Grey also pledged more financial aid for industry and tourism, a new fiveyear physical and economic development plan, and facilities to compensate people claiming damage from the recent outbreaks of looting and violence. Lord Grey said that the first concern of the Ulster Government was to deal with the tragic economic and social consequences of the disturbances of last year. He hinted at a proposal which would reform the archaic drinking laws thal shut public taverns at 10 p.m

“Kiddy Kops'' Recruitment “Kiddy Kops” are on their way in Southern England—a million boys and girls helping the police to track down stolen ears. The Chief Constable of Hampshire (Mr Douglas Osmond) enlisted their help when he appeared on “Crime Desk,” a documentary programme shown by Southern Television. Every Wednesday, descriptions of 20 stolen cars will go out from “Crime Desk” to the Kiddv Kops. The idea was dreamed up by a television crime reporter, Peter Clark, who said: “Children are a great untapped source of crime detection. More than 20,000 cars were stolen in Britain last year, a record number. I don’t think parents will object to the scheme, but I will be talking to them and to headmasters about it. “It should, and will, be made quite clear to the children that they are meant only to report the stolen cars, not to chase them or to accost anyone. Mr Osmond is ouite clear on this, and so am I." A police spokesman in London said that the idea was being used as an experiment in Southern England, but it could be expanded to other districts if it proved a valuable means of recovering sto'en cars. “There are millions of children who spend hours watching and counting trains and cars and nlanes and boats who would like nothin? more than to put their bnhby to practical use.” he said.

f! “But I wouldn't be sur- • I prised if a lot of the Kiddy Kops who watch 'Crime Desk’ • during the next few weeks - are long past the days of /being kiddies.” i Boiv Group Proposal I 1 A group of Young ConserI vatives has proposed the - formation of a joint BritishFrench nuclear force, and says that Britain should press 1 for a directly-elected European Parliament. ,1 It also urges that the 1 United States should release ■ Britain from restrictions imr posed by the McMahon Act. limiting the dissemination of . secret nuclear information . received from America. t The recommendations come .’in a 36-page paper pleading [ the long-term case for Brittain's entry into the Common . Market. s It has been prepared by , the Bow Group, which con- . sists of young intellectuals closely linked with, but not formally bound to. the Oppo- , sition Conservative Party. I The arguments in favour ,of Britain joining Europe, ' the Bow Group asserts, are overwhelming. ' The group summarises a ' catalogue of lost opportun--1 ities since 1950, and com- ; ments: “We have surely ’ missed enough buses to exer- . rise both our scepticism and our so-called pragmatism " Its paper goes on: “Despite ; all set-backs, the European Economic Community is once ’ again looking hopefully to . future progress. [I “It is worth recalling that : it took the United States J nearly 100 years to get a : Federal budget. The Community will have reached ‘that stage in 20 years." ’ The Bow Group also calls ’ for a defence co-ordination ■ committee to deal with ■ nuclear and conventional 5 weapons, an extension of multi-lateral aid to develop1 mg countries, the establish- ' ment of a European currency • reserve, and the unification c of economic and monetary - policies. e| Calling for negotiations s with France to establish a 5: joint nuclear force, the paper says that action for a more s integrated European defence r system has become urgent i now that it seems clear that 1 the 300,000 American troops e in Europe will be thinned out. 1

hast (Jt Suez The Conservatives’ spokesman on defence (Sir lan OrrEwing) alleges that, in spite of the Labour Government’s declared policy, it has never intended to complete a full military withdrawal from the Far East. In an article in “The Times.” Sir lan Orr-Ewing said that the Government planned to leave a total garison of between 10.000 and 11,000 men in Hong Kong, and to have a general capability which could be deplored to the Far East. The article said the Prime Minister of Singapore (Mr Lee Kuan Yew) had an undertaking from the British Government that Britain would honour her defence commitments in Singapore and Malaysia until seven months after the next General Election. This would give the Con servatives time, if they were elected, to reverse the Government’s decision to withdraw troops from the Fai East, Sir lan Orr-Ewing added. He said that the Conserva tives had altered theii defence policy in the Fai East during the last year They were now proposing ; five-Power force Australia New Zealand. Singapore Malaysia and Britain—run or a co-operative basis. If Britain withdrew fron the Far East, the Unitec States might reduce the num ber of her troops in WestenEurope, especially after the repercussions of the conflie in Vietnam, which had giver rise to the “Fortresi America” lobby. “They argue that t Britain is not prepared t< make a reasonable contribu ♦ion to the defence of the [Far East, why should the I United States deploy an arm;

-iof 200,000 on our European H frontiers,” Sir lan Orr-Ewing ’■said. s' f Tractor Toll [ There was no increase in i the number of people killed [by over-turning tractors in i England and Wales during 11969, the last full year before ! the introduction of compul-•-Isory safety frames. e; For the third consecutive i-[year there were 32 deaths, dbut the figure is expected to s[drop from the last quarter >■ of this year, when every new wheeled tractor in Britain e and New Zealand will have e|to have a safety cab. i- British officials were con t, cerned last year that four of f the deac were children under n 15, compared with only one the previous year. There was e also concern that whereas g endways fatal overturns were I- steadily being reduced year n by year, there was a corresponding increase in the numyjber of fatal sideways rolls. '■[ A spokesman for the Minissjtry of Agriculture said 464 people had been killed in '■ tractor rolls in England and [Wales since 1956. The Govr[ernment was pinning its ■ hopes on the new safety - frame law. which would come into force on SeptemÜber 1 of this year, he added. ■; In all. 115 people were ‘[killed on farms in England ' and Wales last year, one more /than in 1968. 1 8 Tanker Trials 1 | The 253.000-ton tanker e ,Esso Northumbria, the largest 0 ship ever built in Britain, set :off on her sea trials this '[week, watched by a crowd of s 'at least 250.000. 5 Eight tugs helped to steer

i i the tanker, under her own g power, down the Tyne from ithe Swan and Hunter yard at Wallsend. ! After the trials she will he handed over to Esso at List nave, Portugal. ji The Esso Northunbria is 111143 feet long and cost the j[equivalent of SNZI3m. » A sister ship, Esso Hiber- . nia. awaits completion at the Wallsend yard. ; U.K. On Shotv "■At Osaka i e The British pavilion at iExpo 70 will cost a total of . £2jm, about £750,000 less f than that at the last World r Fair, in Montreal in 1967. ; Britain is nevertheless puts ting her best design resources s into the display at Osaka, ; where the 27,000 sq. ft pavir lion will have four themes . Britain's heritage. Britain . today, progress and harmony for mankind, and building for . the future I The display of progress ! and harmony will show Bri--1 tain's advances in medical . and agricultural research, ; oceanography and nuclear ,■ reactors. I Building for the future . will include displays of technology, including the Con- . corde. an aviation jet engine. I[a motor racing engine, a >i hovercraft prototype, and I developments in carbon i fibres, containers and super- ! conductivity. 1 The modern design of four "[display halls suspended above t the ground and linked by t bridges has been laboratory > I tested to prove its strength in 1 wind and earthquake. It has [been built by a Japanese ■ I firm.